Kelly Lawrence

Kelly Lawrence

Kelly Lawrence is the author of erotic memoir ‘Wicked Games’ and the forthcoming YA romance ‘Unconditional’. She also writes for Harlequin Historical as Michelle Kelly and her first historical romance ‘The Virgin Courtesan’ came out in October 2013.

1.What got you into writing? I’ve always loved writing stories; I can’t remember a time when I didn’t. I only made the decision to try writing for a living just over a year ago after being made redundant. It was a total leap in the dark; but it paid off!

2.What is a usual writing day like for you? I get up, get the kids off to school and usually end up pottering around all morning before finally sitting down on my laptop and then I’ll write for a few hours. If I have a deadline you’ll find me still there at midnight. I keep drawing up schedules for myself but never stick to them.

3.Who influences you? My literary influences are many and varied. JK Rowling is a goddess, but I write erotic romance so it’s a very different genre! Anais Nin for erotica, Nora Roberts for romance and for characterisation you can’t beat Dickens.

4.What is your all time favourite book? Can I have three? ‘Women who Run with the Wolves’ by Clarissa Pinkola Estes for non-fiction, ‘Tale of Two Cities’ for classic fiction, and ‘Gone Girl’ by Gillian Flynn for contemporary fiction. I read it a few months ago and it blew me away. I didn’t see the twist coming either; normally with twisty thrillers I’ve got it sussed in the first few chapters.

5.Do you get writers block? If so, how do you overcome it? I think there are two kinds of block – one where you have no ideas whatsoever, and the endless procrastination when you’ve got the story in your head but keep putting off getting down to the hard work of putting it on paper. The only way to deal with that is to be strict with yourself. There’s a saying ‘you wouldn’t phone a plumber and think it acceptable for them to refuse to fix your pipes because they had plumber’s block!’ Writing is a discipline.

6.Besides writing, what do you enjoy doing? I practice yoga, love going to the cinema and for long walks with the dog. Girlie nights in with a bottle of wine never hurt either!

7.Are you a plotter/planner when it comes to starting a story? Yes; I plan meticulously before I even start the first chapter. But I quite often make changes as I go – I see it as more of a framework to work within, Sometimes the best ideas only occur to you in the middle of the story, when the characters are more alive for you.

8.Did you choose self publishing or traditional publishing? What reason(s) did you choose this route of publishing? I’m traditionally published by Random House, Harlequin and John Hunt. I think there’s still a certain amount of kudos attached to being with a big-name publisher, though this doesn’t necessarily translate into sales. I’ve recently self-published a collection of short stories to Kindle called ‘Sinful Stories’ however and ideally I’d like to have a finger in both pies.

9.Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? Yes. Don’t give up. There’s a quote I have pinned to my desk, though I can never remember who said it…’Don’t ask anyone else, however knowledgeable, if you are a real writer. If you wake up thinking about writing, you’re already a real writer.’

10.Where is the best place you’ve visited, or whats your best experience? Best place I’ve ever visited would be Dublin. My mother’s family hail from Dublin and Galway. Ireland in general is an amazing place. My best experience? Giving birth, though getting my first book deal comes a close second! Please check out her Facebook: Kelly Lawrence Author